


Oh My Darling, Don't Be Sad (For You Are Made of Stardust)

by cold_nights_summer_days



Series: Stardust [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Again, Angst, Bullying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Peter Parker, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post-Iron Man 1, Precious Peter Parker, Some Science, Tony Stark Has A Heart, because i love it, cause thats the theme of this series, its not light but not heavy so yeah moderate, moderate?, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-28 22:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20433320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cold_nights_summer_days/pseuds/cold_nights_summer_days
Summary: Everyone knows kids are assholes, but at least Peter has his dad to pick up the pieces for him at the end of the day.ORThis is a continuation of the Stardust series, which is basically my excuse to write cute science inspired fluff scenes between my favourite father-son duo.





	Oh My Darling, Don't Be Sad (For You Are Made of Stardust)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome back to the series, or just in general if this is the first piece you're reading. Enjoy, my dears, and don't forget to leave feedback if you enjoyed!

Something was wrong. Peter had been off kilter since Tony had picked him up from school that afternoon. The kid, normally chatty and hyper after sitting at a desk all day, was quiet and still in the back of the car. At first, Tony thought he was only tired and left him relatively alone after checking that he wasn’t injured in any way. Once they arrived home, Peter quickly completed his homework at the kitchen table before going upstairs to his room.

Tony missed the excited chatter, but he was willing to give Peter space if he needed it. The only issue was that he was worried something else was wrong, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do. Did he wait until Peter came to him, if he did at all, or did he ask? His own father would have left him alone until the problem resolved itself. Tony didn’t want to do that, since every parenting example Howard gave him was complete bullshit and most definitely the wrong thing to do.

Unsure of where to compromise on this issue, Tony decided to work on one of the new clean energy projects Stark Industries had taken on since the dissolution of the weapons program. Before going down to the lab though, he poked his head into Peter’s room to let him know that he would be downstairs if he needed anything. Sure, he could have told JARVIS to do it, but that was impersonal. Insincere.

Dinner was a quiet affair, too, despite Tony’s best efforts to do so otherwise. His questions were met with one-word answers and sighs. Aside from that, he barely ate despite skipping his usual snack after homework.

“Can I go to bed early?” Peter asked, giving up on the mac and cheese on his plate. There was only slightly less than when he sat down twenty minutes earlier.

“Yeah, if you want to, buddy. I’ll be up in a minute to tuck you in, okay?”

Peter nodded, taking his plate to the sink. He still had to stand on his tiptoes to do it. Tony waited until he was out of earshot before quickly calling Pepper. She picked up on the third ring.

_“What’s wrong? I’m sort of busy right now,” _Pepper sounded irritated, and Tony could hear light conversation and the clinking of silverware in the background.

“Sorry, I can call later—”

_“No, just tell me what it is. You wouldn’t have called unless something happened to you or Peter, and since the news is clear, I’m assuming this has to do with Peter.”_

“See, this is why I keep you around. You’re too smart for your own good.”

_“Tony! The problem!”_

“Oh right, right. Peter was extremely quiet when I picked him up from school today, and he’s barely said a word since. He even asked to go to bed early, and usually he’s asking to stay up late and watch a movie or something. I’m worried, but I don’t know if I should leave him be or ask what’s wrong. I didn’t have very good role models in this department, so I was hoping you could help me.”

The sound of people and glassware faded from Pepper’s side of the phone as she started to answer.

_“It’s okay, Tony. Everyone struggles.”_

“I feel like I should know this.”

“You’re fine. Just gently ask him what’s going on, and if he doesn’t want to answer, don’t force him to. It needs to feel like his decision.”

“Thank you so much, Pep. You’re the best—”

_“I know, I know. Now you go tuck Peter in so I can get back to my dinner party.”_

Pepper was the one to end the call before Tony could say anything else. He would have to thank her some other time, because without her he would surely be lost. Heading up the stairs, Tony’s mind ran through all the possibilities of the root of this. He hoped that it was simply that Peter was tired, but he knew that in thinking that he was just lying to himself.

Tony knocked lightly on the door before easing it open. Peter was already changed into his pajamas and lying under the covers. Perhaps he took longer talking to Pepper than he thought. Taking a deep breath, Tony sat on the edge of the bed. It shouldn’t be this hard to talk to a seven-year-old.

“Did something happen at school today, bud? I know you said you’re tired, but I want to make sure there isn’t something else,” He said, cringing at his straightforward words. There were surely more eloquent ways to ask.

Peter stayed quiet for a moment, toying with the edge of his Star Wars blanket. “There was this kid on the playground. he was talking about you to everyone else and saying mean things.”

“Is that all? I don’t want you to worry about what people say about me, okay? It doesn’t mean anything.”

“That wasn’t all they said though. Then he came up to me and said his parents told him not to talk to me because I’m a Stark and Starks are good-for-nothings who live off trust funds.” Peter’s voice was quiet at the end, simultaneously light and heavy. Tony’s heart ached for him, this sweet, innocent seven-year-old who deserved the world.

“That’s not true. You’re going to go places and do things that that kid couldn’t dream of. You’re going to change the world someday,” Tony stated it like a fact because to him it was one.

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’re a star.”

Peter shook his head. “I’m not a star.”

“Yes you are. Literally. People and stars share ninety seven percent of the same atoms—atoms are the tiny things that make up the entire universe—”

“The _entire_ universe? That’s a lot.”

“It sure is. See, there are these things called elements. There are a lot of elements that people _and_ stars are made out of. Like carbon, for example.”

“What are the other ones?”

“Well,” Tony mused, trying to recall the rest. It had been a while since his last stint in studying Astronomy. “Hydrogen and Nitrogen are some of the others. And Phosphorus, too. You know what that means?” That means you’re made of stardust.”

Tony smiled at his son, grateful that life had given him this chance. At first, being a parent, a single parent no less, was a daunting task. Sometimes it still felt like a chore, but it mostly felt like a privilege.

“And you and Aunt Pepper and Uncle Rhodey? Are you guys made of stardust too?”

“Yeah, but not as much as you. You’re the best of us, you know that?” This elicited a laugh and a smile from Peter, and Tony instantly felt better. Before leaving, Tony pressed a quick kiss to Peter’s forehead.

Howard would say it was pointless to explain advanced science to a seven year old, but then again, what the hell did he know about parenting?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little thing, and if you did, don't forget to leave comments and kudos. I have many other things posted, so you can check those out too. (I recently finished a piece that was a Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Irondad Au, and not to toot my own horn, but it's good you should check it out. 
> 
> For updates on my writing follow me on Tumblr or Instagram!
> 
> Tumblr: unfathomable-universe
> 
> Instagram: cold.nights.summer.days


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